Our view: Hits and misses

Hit: Congratulations to Jeffery Gorr of Sheboygan, who was among six finalists in Field & Stream's 2013 Heroes of Conservation Awards.

The world's leading outdoor magazine honored Gorr for more than 25 years teaching young waterfowlers and helping preserve wildlife habitat. He and the other five honorees are featured in the magazine's September issue, which is on newstands now.

According to the Field and Stream website: "Gorr has spent nine years organizing the Sheboygan County Greenwing Day - where budding waterfowlers learn about gun safety, using decoys, building wood-duck boxes, and hunting with dogs - and works year-round to line up teachers, funding, prizes and promotion. He has been involved in the annual program in other roles over 25 years, impacting about 2,500 new hunters."

The national recognition during a banquet on Thursday is testament to Gorr's persistence and love for what he does.

Miss: Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario confirmed last week what we have suspected for some time - even a small number of Asian carp can present a huge problem.

The scientists said in a recently published paper that, under the right circumstances, as few as 10 Asian carp that find their way into one of the Great Lakes would have a 50-50 chance of becoming established.

"Established" is a euphemism for creating a ton of trouble by breeding and becoming so numerous that a lake's very ecosystem could go belly up. We've been lucky so far with the $200 million spent on electric barriers and other measures to keep the voracious fish out of Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes.

Asian carp DNA has been found in tributaries leading to Lake Michigan. This latest study suggests the government needs to stay on top of this problem and give it greater urgency than is the case currently.

Sleeping on this problem can only cause big problems later.

Hit: Press readers learned last week that a man who lived in a town south of Plymouth will be inducted into the National Abolitionist Hall of Fame in Petersboro, N.Y., next month.

Capt. Jonathan Walker was arrested in 1844 trying to free seven slaves by sailing them from Florida to the Bahamas, and subsequently had "SS," for "slave stealer" branded into his right hand. He became historically famous, with poet John Greenleaf Whittier writing a poem about him and accounts of him available in books about the abolition movement.

Author Alvin Oickel in 1998 wrote what is considered the definitive book about Walker's life, called "The Man With the Branded Hand."

What a fascinating bit of local history. If you haven't read the entire story by Janet Ortegan of the Press staff, which was published last week, check it out at sheboyganpress.com.

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Our view: Hits and misses

A look at some of the good ? and not-so-good ? news of the past week:

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